Disconnecting holder



Oct; 1, 1935. 1.,c. DOANE 2,015,715

DISCONNECTING HOLDER Filed Jan. 20, 1950 INVENTOR Leroy C. Deane ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 1, 1935 DISCONNECTING HOLDER Leroy C. Doane, Meriden, Conn., assignor to The Miller Company, Meriden, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 20, 1930, Serial No. 422,005 a l 13 Claims. (01. 173328) The present invention relates to disconnect ing holders and is more particularly directed toward a polarity connector for lighting apparatus and the like. i

5: The present invention contemplates a disconnecting holder more particularly arranged for lighting apparatus and adapted to support thelamp socket and shade or reflector in such a manner that the polarity of the lamp socket ter- 10 minals is maintained the same in all such fixtures and is not changed when the lamp socket and associated parts are removed from the fixed parts'and again replaced. y

" The invention also contemplates an arran'ge Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the fixed part of the disconnecting holder, this figure being taken on the line of Figure 2 30 in the directionof the arrow;

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of thesamep Figure 3 isa vertical sectional view through the disconnecting holder; and

Figure l is, a top plan View showing -the re: 35' movable socket carrier.

The fixed supporting body is shown at If], It maybe in the formofa casting andmaybeinternally threaded, as indicated at II, to facilitate mounting it on the lower end of a pipe or 40 the like. The lower part of the casting I is in the form of a circular skirt 2, provided with internally disposed helical ledges l3. ledges, at their lower portions, terminate near slots l4, l5, and I6, and-the upper and more re- 5 mote parts of the ledges are provided with dwells OITGCQSSQS H; g

An insulating body 26 is secured to the holder It by screws indicated at 2|, the holes into which these screws pass having predetermined positions relative to the notches l4, l5 and It. The insulating body 23 carries two metal plates 22 and 23 having binding screws 24 and 25; and adapted These circuit. Each of these terminals 22 and 23 has a downwardly extending portion such as indicated at 26, and these downwardly extending por- V tions 26 yieldably carryicontact terminals 21 and 5 v 28. These terminals arehoused in depending portions 29 of the insulating body.

A conventional lamp socket is shown at 30. It is preferably mounted ona shock absorbing socket support 3| of the character shown in Patent No. 1,788,945, granted June 13, 1931. This shock absorber is secured by rivets 32 to a cup shaped stamping 33 and allows the socket to move relativeto its support. This stamping is apertured, as indicated at 34, to accommodate an insulating l5 body35 which surrounds two rearwardly extend ing blades 36 and 31 carried byithe lamp socket. These blades are tapped to receive screws 38 and 39 and these screws are tightened in place as indicated, 3

A cup shaped'stamping 33 is secured inside a socket cover and reflector support 40 by pins indicated at 4|, 42 and 43. These pins are preferably in the form of large headed screws which pass through nuts 44 and are upset as indicated at 45. Thescrewswll, 42 and 43 are spaced the same as the notches |4, I5, and |6;and one of these screws, for example the screw. 4|, is made larger than theothers. The corresponding notch I4 is made larger and, hence, it would be impossible to insertthe disconnectible part of the holder in any other'position than thatin which the screw head 4| passes through the notch I4.

When the lower part of the unit is thus passed into place, the upper edge of the lower disconnectible part is brought against a fibre washer 46 placed underneath a spring 41 and above a flange 48 111 the insulating support2fi. This compresses the spring 41. One may then turn the lower part of the unit-about a quarter revolution to pass the heads of the screws 4|, 42, and 43 into the recesses or dwells I! in the ledges l3. This movementwill bring the heads of the screws 38 and 39 against the terminals 21 and 28 of the first part of theholder, thereby completing the circuit.

It will be noted that, when connected, the holder must always have the proper polarity. Large conducting parts may be employed, and large surfaces are available, so that good contact may be had at all times: Furthermore, the resiliently 50 mounted fixed contacts 21 and 2B are able to give sufliciently to permit the shock absorbing support for the lamp socketto function and protect the lamp. 7

The socket cover 4|lmay have any of the usual configurations employed. for supporting metal or other reflectors, or various shade supporting devices may be associated with or carried by this socket cover. Where it is desired to have a polarity connection for current consuming devices not employing lamp sockets, it will be obvious that a suitable form of connecting block may be carried by the removable element, so that the desired polarity connections may be made.

It is obvious that the invention may be embodied in many forms and. constructions, and I.

the fixed contacts only when the pins are turned to be received in the dwells in the ledges, whereby the circuit is made or broken during rotary movement of the socket carrier, and spring means carried by the fixedly mounted unit and bearing on the socket carrier for holding the pins in the dwells.

2. A connector comprising an insulating body having two axially extending inwardly facing contacts, the body being open between the contacts to receive a contact carrier, a holder for the insulating body, the holder having a skirted portion, and a removable unit provided with an axially insulating contact carrier receivable between the contacts on the body and carrying downwardly facing contacts engageable with the first mentioned contacts, the outer part of the removable unit being receivable in the skirt, and having pins c'ooperable with notches and ledges in the skirt to form an asymmetric arrangement of bayonet joints to permit assembly of the parts in predetermined polarity relation.

3. A polarity connection for lighting apparatus comprising a fixed support carrying a pair of insulated contacts adapted to be connected to the line to have a predetermined polarity relation, a lamp socket having its terminals connected to contacts having fixed positions relative to one another, a socket holder, a shock absorber for securing the socket to the socket holder, and means for detachably securing the socket holder to the fixed support, the socket holder and fixed support having registering means to determine the polarity of the socket contacts, the shock absorber protecting the socket against mechanical shock.

4. A connection for lighting apparatus comprising a fixed supportcarrying a pair of insulated yi'eldable contacts, a lamp socket having its terminals connected to contacts having fixed'positions relative to one another andto the socket, a socket holder and a shock absorber secured to the socket and to the socket holder, the socket holder being detachably carried by the fixed support, the yieldability of the fixed contacts allowing the shock absorber to function without affecting the circuit. V V 5. A connector comprising a lamp socket unit provided with rearwardly extending terminals, an apertured socket carrier through which theterminals pass, a shock absorber for securing the socket to the carrier, the .shock absorber permit- ,ting'limited movement of the socket unit relative to the carrier, a fixedly supported insulating body having yieldably supported fixed contacts adapted to receive the rearwardly extending terminals, and means to secure the socket carrier to the support for the insulating body, the fixed contacts yielding to allow the socket unit to move on the shock absorber support therefor.

6. In a disconnecting holder, a supporting body having a depending skirt provided with interiorly disposed notched helical ledges having dwells, an insulating contact support having a pair of spring contacts carried in a downwardly opening axially disposed recess, the contacts being in predetermined angular relation relative to the notches and the notches and dwells being asymmetrically arranged, the insulating support having a peripheral flange, and a spring pressed ring between the flange and the supporting body.

7.. In a disconnecting holder, a reflector supporting shell, a cup shaped stamping carried inside the shell, a lamp socket carried below the stamping. and having current supply terminals extending abovethe stamping, and a shock absorber for supporting thesocket from the stamping.

8'. In a disconnecting holder, a lamp socket having an insulating body and center and screw shell contacts, blade like terminals extending rearwardly from the body and connected to the contacts, a second insulating body to receive the terminals, and lateral extensions carried by the terminals and extending beyond the side walls of the latter body, a third insulating body disposed above the first and having a downwardly opening recess to receive the second insulating body, and terminals carried in the side walls of the recess to contact with the lateral extensions when the parts are in predetermined angular relation.

9. A disconnecting holder comprising a relatively fixed support, an insulating body secured to the lower side of the support, a pair of contact supporting springs carried by the support, con tacts carried by the springs and movable radially against the spring tension, a ring slidably and non-removably carried on the insulating body, a spring interposed between the ring and support, and a detachable unit having bayonet slot connections with the support and bearing on the ring to compress the spring when the unit is secured to the support, the unit also carrying an insulating contact carrier having contacts adapted to be brought into engagement with the first contacts when the bayonet slot connections are made up and to flex the spring supports for said contacts.

10. A disconnecting holder comprising a relatively fixed support, an insulating body secured to the lower side of the support, and having a recess on the lower face, a pair of contact supporting springs carried by the support, contacts carried by the springs in the side walls of the recess and movable radially against the spring tension, a ring slidably and non-removably carried on the insulating body, a spring interposed between the ring and support, and a detachable unit having bayonet slot connections with the support and bearing on the ring to compress the spring when the unit is secured to the support, the unit also carrying an insulating contact carrier adapted to enter into the recess and having contacts adapted to be brought into engagement with the first contacts when the bayonet slot connections are made up and to flex the spring supports for said contacts.

11. In a disconnecting holder, an outer tubular socket covering shell, an apertured transverse member fixedly mounted across the shell adjacent the upper .end, a shockabsorber secured to the lower side of the transverse member, a downwardly opening lamp socket secured to the shock absorber, two current supply contacts secured to the socket and extending up through the aperture in the transverse member and freely movable therein, an insulator about said contacts, and terminals carried by the contacts and projecting outwardly beyond the insulator.

12. In a disconnecting holder, an outer tubular socket covering shell, an apertured transverse member fixedly mounted across the shell adjacent the upper end, a shock absorber secured to the lower side of the transverse member, a downwardly opening lamp socket secured to the shock absorber, two current supply contacts secured to the socket and extending up through the aperture in the transverse member and freely movable therein, an insulator about said contacts, the upper ends of the contacts being tapped, and screws extending through holes in the insulator and into the tapped holes, the heads of the screws being exposed.

13. In a disconnecting holder for reflectors, a tubular reflector support having apertures near the upper edge thereof, a cup-shaped member disposed across the upper end of the reflector support, securing members carried by the cup shaped member and projecting beyond and extending LEROY C. DOAN E. 

